In Another Life
by Teir's'Ffalenn
Summary: '...I need Levi. We can not afford to lose him. Therefore you must understand: I cannot allow you to be his weakness...He and I understand sacrifice better than most...' It's an alternate world and the path Levi Ackerman walks may be a much darker one to that in another life. But that doesn't mean he'll face it alone..
1. Prologue

**Hello! Just a quick warning: this is pretty much an AR story but will loosely follow the main story (to begin with anyway!) I take inspiration from all aspects of the series, from the anime, the manga, the games, etc, so there may be spoilers. I'll try to give a heads up beforehand if I think a chapter contains any but I might forget about things that have been missed out of the anime but appear in the manga or in the games etc so just giving a brief warning of possible spoilers now!**

Prologue

'Commander Erwin sir!'

The terse voice of a scout cut across the blond haired leader's concentration on a city fallen to ruin like a knife thrust and filled him with an inexplicable tension as he turned to the sweat soaked runner sent to seek him out. The scout was trembling, his fear in full view as he scraped his hair from his face and then slapped his fists to chest and back in a shaky salute.

'Report,' Erwin said briskly, eager for the news to be over. Whatever it was, it clearly did not bode well though he hoped it would not impact the tiny victory won here today. He had seen the enemy Titan fall from the wall, witnessed the dust cloud thrown up as she had hit the ground. Once the scout was done he could resume his way across the streets to see the results of yet another gamble on his part before he faced the military police to answer for the destruction surrounding them.

'Captain Levi is down sir.'

'Down where?' Erwin asked distractedly, confused. Even as they spoke he walked on ground level with the mp's who held him under guard. Levi couldn't be below him unless he had made his way into the tunnels leading to the abandoned city beneath the surface. But that had been Armin's job and that part was long played out; not to mention he had asked Levi to stay away from this day's mission. The scout took a breath.

'The Captain is _down_ sir,' he repeated, his nerves puncturing through his higher pitched voice.

Erwin made it two more steps and slammed to a halt. The mp's around him stopped too but did not move to intervene. The scout's words were enough to shock any man and woman from any regiment and to drain the colour completely from the chiselled features of Commander Erwin of the Survey Corps.

'He's dead?' Commander Nile asked sharply from his place by Erwin's side.

'Not dead sir,' the scout objected breathlessly, 'the female titan has been subdued but there are issues to that. But the captain's state is critical. Sir they're calling for you.'

'How the hell?' Someone muttered from Nile's ranks, 'I've heard Captain Levi can take on multiple titans at once and come out completely unscathed.'

'He was injured prior to this though. He's not invincible,' another answered miserably.

'Commander Erwin is under my charge,' Nile said sharply, cutting off the comments whispered from behind as he answered the scout's request.

'You wouldn't be so cold as to stop me from going to Levi first would you Nile?' Erwin asked coolly, turning piercing sapphire eyes on the man who had been his friend once, 'you needn't leave my side, I'll still be in your custody and we can talk once we've assessed Annie's situation and whether this day's battle has claimed my captain's life or not.' For added reassurance he held up his wrists, still clamped together by the iron cuffs that Nile himself had put on him.

Nile hesitated. So far he was furious over the way Erwin had apparently handled things here in Stohess without so much as a word of his danger laced plans to any of the military police, and completely distrustful of his intentions now. In the end though, to Erwin's relief, compassion won out; no one could miss the genuine fear flickering behind the impassive mask forced onto Erwin's face as the unknown fate of humanity's strongest soldier hung in the balance. Nile tipped his head forward in agreement and the group changed course to follow the scout's steps through the debris on the streets.

_How? _Erwin thought bitterly as he walked straight backed, determined still to keep his dignity around the interior soldiers, _how has this happened? _He had given his captain strict orders to stay out of this fight for reasons that Levi had known and Levi had never disobeyed such orders before. Deep down though, he knew. There could only be one thing that would have called Levi to the battle field in a heartbeat without care; and even if it had cost him his life, Erwin knew: the captain would have no regrets.


	2. First Encounter

First Encounter

_Down in the depths of a subterranean city, in the dimness cast off by artificial lighting from the dozens of lamps kept burning day and night, a young lad walked barefoot down the cracked streets, casting shadows along the dilapidated hovels he passed. No natural light shone through the stairwell points along his path; night currently reigned above on the surface city as well as in its counterpart below and people slept tense behind unbarred doors, all too aware of the thugs that roamed their Underground home. _

_The boy knew no fear as he went. Fine boned and slight, his strength was deceptive beneath clothes that hung loose from his body and the knife shoved through the belt at his waist hidden by the rough cloth of his jacket. _

_The figure he sought stood ahead by a low stone wall surrounding an abandoned shack fallen to ruin; a man so much taller than him dressed in a leather duster coat that fell to his shins and a cowboy's styled hat jammed onto thick hair streaked with the first sparse signs of silver. _

'_Been up too much?' The man asked gruffly as the boy approached with his sable hair in disarray across his forehead and his pale skin rinsed to gold in the flickering flame of the torches._

'_My knife is clean tonight,' he said softly as he slipped the weapon from his belt and balanced it across his palm. _

'_Night's not over kid,' the man responded gruffly. He shifted his weight to lean against the stone and shoved his fists restlessly in his pockets. The movement stirred the fabric of his coat and on a breath of air the boy caught the scent of perfume, an exotic thing and rare to possess down amongst the poverty of the Underground. _

'_Quite a lady you must have seen earlier,' he commented dryly._

'_Somethin' special,' the man agreed, his smile hidden beneath the wide brim of his hat._

'_The one?' The boy mocked._

'_Never. Just a toss between the sheets as always.' The man never bothered to hide his crudeness. The lad was by far too perceptive to be lied to; and forced to an early maturity by the mentor before him he already thought with an adult's mind and a clever one at that._

'_Didn't think you had the coin for the ladies that wear the fancy stuff,' his young charge observed as he began to spin his blade around his hand._

'_It was a pretty lass on the outskirts of the city, feeling particularly rebellious towards restrictive parents..so much so that she fell to a ruffian's false words too easily,' the man laughed, 'them parents will be mortified if ever they find out. Serves 'em right, far too paranoid: they said bad things happen in the big city, can you believe that?'_

_The boy snorted as he flipped the dagger by its worn handle and caught the knife's point between slender fingers._

'_Too many 'ruffians' I expect.'_

_His mentor grinned at that. 'They needn't worry. Likely she doesn't know it yet, but I won't be returnin'. They need fear nothing from me unless they give me a reason.'_

'_Just another conquest to you,' the boy said, amused, 'you'll never choose to settle, will you?'_

'_Nope. An appallin' thought,' the man stated firmly._

'_Good,' his charge replied bluntly._

'_Women ain't worth the risk for the long-haul lad,' the man said as he folded his long limbs to perch on the wall, 'take my advice and don't bother. Keep that stone heart of yours to you.'_

_The slight hint of a grin slipped across the boy's face, the hardened features that once had been too gaunt and almost lifeless now flushed with a warmth and vitality given him by the cold-hearted murderer sat beside him._

'_Don't worry,' he said mockingly as he sheathed the knife and settled cross legged on the stone next to his mentor, 'I'll find a girl when you do old man.' _

_'That's my boy,' The man smiled._

Framed in bright sunlight by the casement window of his quarters, Captain Levi stood looking out over the training yard of the scouts as his quick fingers secured the buttons of his shirt. Already lining up in neat rows for inspection were the recruits from the 103rd Cadet Corps. Fully fledged scouts now they had been with the regiment for a year and barely seen any action. Today, Commander Erwin had asked his right-hand man to join him in searching for new talent to add to their higher squads, to replace the people recently lost on their missions beyond the wall. He was up to something new; Levi could tell, and it was going to involve new blood.

'Perhaps you will find someone worthy for your team,' the commander had encouraged when he'd caught Levi returning from a training session and sprung his request on his captain. Levi doubted it. He kept his squad small and there was no space currently for him to offer. Unless a scout truly impressed, they would get no interest from him.

He shrugged on his tan jacket and adjusted the sleeves meticulously before wrapping a white ascot around his neck and tucking it neatly inside his collar. Like a froth of spray at his throat, it was his unintended trademark look; perhaps something that could be seen as a lucky charm to some, but that wasn't really Levi's style. He tightened the buckles of the leather straps that crossed his torso and legs, a fiddly asset but one that no scout would ever skip out on as the harness supported the equipment that aided survival against titans. Whether inside the walls or out, any soldier on duty wore it just in case, more so since the shock attack against wall Maria five years ago. The equipment, known as odm gear, could be attached to the waist within seconds; that had been a key point of its design. For the training today Levi wouldn't need to clip his on yet but like any soldier, his gear would always be close to hand.

Done dressing after he had pulled on soft leather boots that reached to his knees, he glanced through the glass again. The sun blazed down on the backs of their necks as the fresh recruits stood; yet four years of hard training and discipline kept them straight and still despite the discomforting heat of the afternoon. That earned them a measure of respect from him almost instantly and contrary to popular belief he did care enough not to leave them standing too long as he stepped away from the window and headed out, leaving his scouts cloak folded neatly on a nearby chair. He wouldn't need it for this.

Commander Erwin had already given them his introductory address when Levi arrived and took his place at his leader's side. The evidence was clear in the way the new scouts were watching him now, bright eyes trained on those regal features beneath golden hair slicked back from forehead and temples. Relieved to have missed the initial speech, Levi scanned the determined faces before him and suppressed a sigh. It wasn't always easy watching the Commander fill new scouts with potentially false hope. He hadn't given up on the chance that the titans stalking the lands outside the walls could be stopped one day but most of the people here now probably wouldn't survive to see it. Not if they'd chosen to dedicate their hearts to the survey corps.

It was a scout on the third row that first caught his full attention. As Erwin launched into a standard explanation of the exercises he wanted to see in order to test the recruits, Levi sized up the lad with the coppery blond hair currently towering over the people around him. It sent a jolt to his stomach as he realised, he reminded him of Farlan, a friend lost in the past to the titans. The scout had the same stance of determination that Farlan had had when they'd first joined the scouts and yet, the same lines of apprehension creased the boy's face now that Farlan had shown when they'd met their first Titan. It was a confusing combination and enough for Levi to realise that the scout was in complete conflict over his place here with the survey corps. Intrigued, he left his spot by Erwin and slipped through the ranks until he reached the lad and stood before him, without missing the way he stiffened slightly under his captain's scrutiny.

'What's your name?' Levi asked after a moment, uncaring of his blatant disregard for Erwin's words echoing at his back. Completely unfazed by his captain's actions, perhaps slightly amused, Erwin simply continued talking and the only respect Levi chose to show was to keep his voice low so it wouldn't carry. He knew Erwin would trust him to have his reasons. The instructions were just a formality anyway; any scout worth their salt would know the training exercises inside out by now and if they didn't, they shouldn't be standing here at all. Hand to hand combat wasn't practiced much within the scouts but without the skill, honed over three years in the cadet corps, a cadet didn't pass into any regiment at all. The knowledge was not easily forgotten. Or so he had been told. Levi had never been a cadet. His own idea of combat stemmed from a much more brutal background.

'Daniel,' the scout before him answered nervously. The brown eyes he flicked up to his captain seemed almost golden in the wash of sunlight flooding the courtyard.

'Why are you here Daniel?'

'I want to help in the fight against the titans.' As if on instinct Daniel clasped his right fist to his chest and his left to his back in the classic salute used by all soldiers to represent the dedication of their hearts.

'Even though the very idea of them clearly terrifies you,' Levi stated bluntly with no reaction to the gesture. Daniel swallowed visibly but he didn't try to lie, 'Yes sir. It does.'

Levi gave a nod to his honesty and raked a hard blue gaze over the scouts stood either side of the blond haired boy. To Daniel's left was a young man around the same height but slightly older and broader chested, staring straight ahead at Commander Erwin as though afraid Levi might scold him if he did otherwise. The glare of the sun had caused a more severe pinch to his forehead and brows compared to the other recruits, a tell-tale sign of over sensitive eyesight. Levi easily recognised through his own experience, the symptoms of someone who had not slept well. He had had it all his life but for this scout he could tell it was a new thing since joining the survey corps and the boy had not yet learnt to deal with it.

The girl standing to his right could not have been more different in appearance if she'd tried. She was by far smaller than Daniel, smaller than the captain himself by several inches and her hair spilled straight and fine down past her shoulder blades like a stream of poured dark chocolate. Even as his attention shifted to her, she didn't immediately look away. Instead, the gaze she gave back was more level than any of her other peers stood sweating in the courtyard; while most of them glanced at him with a mixture of awe and fear, she watched him as though he were no different to the rigid scout stood next her. If he was honest, it was refreshing to see a simpler kind of courage in those light green eyes, staring him down as though she dared him to question her presence in the survey corps like he had Daniel. Since her attention was on him, he decided he _would _question her.

'And your name?'

'Chia, sir.' She gave him the salute as well, slender fingers curled neatly against her shirt front.

'Like the seed?' He asked mockingly. One dark eyebrow twitched on her pale face though she gave him a small smile in return. It was not the first time she had heard that he realised.

'I suppose the people who named me were simple minded at best,' she replied, 'called me after the first thing they saw and moved on. It stuck nonetheless and I was too young to protest it. Personally, I wouldn't mind it as much if they'd given it to me genuinely.'

He didn't miss the slight hint of bitterness in her voice. But he had no interest in inquiring into family drama or potential history from a new recruit he didn't know. The way she spoke suggested she no longer had ties to those who had given her her name anyway. Dismissive, he didn't ask them anything else, instead chose to stalk past, between Daniel and Chia and onwards through the ranks to the back.

Almost an hour later when the recruits were in full swing practising with wooden knives for one on one combat, he still remained on the side-lines, watching with a critical eye. Combat, while seemingly pointless in the long run, was a good way of determining a person's character and dedication. Those who slackened off would not be as diligent in their duties whereas those who still took it seriously, determined to impress, would be the ones that Erwin chose for his higher squads because they could be relied on more to give their whole selves, even their lives to him if needed, for the cause of the scouts.

Levi had circled the training yard twice when his attention came back to the three people who had caught his notice in the first place. Daniel was going against the broader chested boy while Chia called encouragement from the side, her dark hair now swept back into a loose knot to keep it from her face during the exercises. The sleep deprived scout couldn't co-ordinate properly; Daniel had the advantage, but his attacks were hesitant, as though he doubted his skill. He had good form and technique but no drive or energy. Perhaps he didn't want to risk injuring the scout he was against. But hesitation was not acceptable to Captain Levi. It could put more than one person in danger in the wrong situation and it was always one of the first things he stamped out of those who came under his command. The scouts in his permanent squad had lost the trait long before he had even considered them. He knew talent when he saw it and Daniel had the potential; now for his sake Levi would intervene to make a point.

Erwin, Hange, and the other squad leaders were already amongst the scouts, strolling past the groups of combatants when Levi made his way to the three who had not yet been scrutinised by the veterans.

'You're getting lazy with your footwork,' he stated as he approached and startled the three scouts, 'just because he's weakening doesn't mean you should.'

The two boys sprang apart at the captain's arrival while the girl stilled between them; Levi flexed scarred fingers and stood to face Daniel who immediately turned white.

'Give him the knife,' said Levi sharply to the weary scout; the boy relinquished the wooden weapon without a word to Daniel and backed off as Levi turned and assumed a stance, 'attack me.'

Daniel did. He lunged forward and swung his fist, blade in hand, in an attempt to land a strike on the slighter figure of his captain. A scant second before the knife made impact, Levi slipped an arm deftly beneath his attack and caught his wrist, used his momentum to carry him forward and left him sprawled on the ground before he could even grasp what had happened. Only a moment's contact, but through his grip on Daniel's arm Levi had felt the nervous tremors that wracked the younger boy.

'Best start looking sharper scout,' he said dismissively, 'if I intimidate you this badly how will you handle a titan?'

'Captain Levi sir, surely it's hardly fair for _you_ to be giving it your all?' Someone interjected from the nearby spectators, distracted from their own exercises by the sight of the captain of the survey corps engaging in combat.

Levi turned towards the voice and trapped the speaker with an angry look that stopped any other words the scout might have uttered.

'Do you think the titans will hold back on you?' He snapped. 'No. They won't. Even if you can't win against me you can at least practice staving off defeat for as long as possible. That way you'll have more chance of standing against a Titan and surviving. I suggest you get back to it, you're not making the best impression right now.'

The outspoken scout flushed crimson as he realised the Commander himself was standing right behind, his eyebrows raised and his sapphire eyes as piercing as always in the bright afternoon sun as he questioned the scene before him.

Levi turned his attention to the girl then without bothering to see how Erwin dealt with the other scout. He hadn't missed it during his quick disarming of Daniel: she had watched his every move as closely as he himself would when faced with a potential threat. It told him that she had probably learned to fight long before she had enlisted in the cadets. It wasn't a common thing. Apart from the odd brawl in bars and taverns and rough fisticuffs in the poorer districts fuelled from hungry aggression, the citizens living on the surface cities had no need for knowledge of true fighting.

He set her against Daniel, giving her the knife. Once again Daniel had no chance. She was good at deceiving her opponent, leading him like a helpless fish on a line until she saw her chances and struck. Her moves were controlled and precise; Daniel would probably wear bruises for the next few days thanks to her and the captain. He didn't stop trying though. Levi had to give him credit for that, even when he managed to snatch the knife from Chia only to receive a swift kick to his wrist that knocked the wooden handle from his grasp and sent it clattering to the ground. He swiped it back up without a sound and spun to face her again.

Curious now, Levi stepped in-between before they could spar and held out his hand to another scout nearby in silent demand for the knife he clutched as he watched. Chia's blade was returned to her as well. This truly was a challenge, set in motion by the captain of the survey corps and worthy of the attention of nearly every recruit gathered in the training yard. If Chia was at all unnerved at being the one to face the captain under such conditions, she didn't show it as she took up stance opposite. The first move he chose was nothing ever taught in the cadet corps. He slashed straight for her stomach, an aggressive tactic that, with a true blade, would likely bring a victim to their knees in agony if it managed to pierce flesh; and he moved with the speed he was famed for.

She dodged back.

The knife swiped at thin air a hairsbreadth away from the cloth of the shirt she wore beneath her tan jacket. He straightened immediately and angled the blade towards her chest. She slammed his arm aside with her own and bashed his side with one leg; he staggered but still managed to skip backwards before she could go for a move to fell him. She was vicious and he sensed it stemmed from some desperate desire not to lose. Something in her past had probably caused that. Levi lashed back, with every intent to push her to the limit, to see how far she would go. She took the blows he landed, with no word of complaint each time he demanded that she try again. She couldn't outlast him if it came to endurance but if she was clever enough…somewhere out of the blue she gripped his free wrist and twisted. He came at her with the knife to force her to release; she stepped nimbly around him, hooked a heel behind his foot and tripped him backwards with a shove that saw him on his back in the dirt with her knee to his abdomen and one wrist pinned fast to the ground; restraining the hand in which he currently held his blade. Her own found his throat and stayed there, pressed steady against his skin. The loose strands of her hair tickled his cheek as, breathing hard, she fought to keep him there. Immediately he knew: her delicate build was just as deceptive as his own. She was strong. Nowhere near his level or any of the veterans, but enough to best most of the new recruits in this courtyard. She had the discipline others lacked; the same kind of qualities he had seen in Petra Ral that had eventually led to her current place amongst his personal squad. He could see in peridot coloured eyes that she had not yet assumed victory. Her grip on him was still too tight. If he so much as flinched she would be ready, and he wasn't sure he trusted her not to dig that knee too hard; he could feel the slight tremors throughout her body that came with an adrenaline rush.

He _could_ have retaliated easily if he'd wanted to. He knew several ways out of the hold she'd pinned him in. But that was dependent on strength similar to his own; for most others, they would find themselves helpless with a blade at their neck and the spark in her impressed him enough to lay down his hands in surrender and let the wooden knife slip from his fingers to the astonishment of those watching, Erwin included. He saw the brief flicker of surprise before she let him go and stood, offering her hand to him out of respect. He accepted only so far as to find his own feet and then let her go; slapped at his white pants and tan jacket to get rid of the dust.

'Keep it going,' was all he said to the three of them and flicked the knife he had held back to Daniel with his toe. Daniel caught it clumsily and clutched it to his chest like some kind of lifeline until the captain had turned his back and walked away.

With his ascot neatly re-straightened after the fight, Levi crossed his arms as Erwin came to stand with him, a smile curving his lips as he reached his captain and surveyed the troops under his command.

'So, have you seen anyone worth recruiting into your squad?'

'No,' Levi replied bluntly. Then he sighed with that familiar expression of irritation he wore whenever his commander proved to be right, 'not yet. But I do see potential. In more than just one.'


End file.
